The Lovely Bones (2009)

The Lovely Bones (2009) is a supernatural drama film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay he co-wrote with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, based on Alice Sebold’s 2002 novel of the same name. In 1973, 14-year-old high school freshman Susie Salmon has aspirations of becoming a photographer. She is asked out by Ray, the boy she has a crush on. One day while walking home through a cornfield, Susie encounters her neighbor George Harvey and follows him to an underground ‘kid’s hideout’ he has built. Feeling uneasy, Susie tries to leave but Harvey stops her and the scene fades to her rushing past classmate Ruth Connors in a state of alarm. The Salmons start to worry when Susie doesn’t come home from school. Her father Jack frantically searches for her while her mother Abigail waits for the police. In town, Susie sees Jack but he doesn’t respond to her calls. She races back home only to find Harvey soaking in the bathtub.

After discovering the grisly scene in the bathroom and spotting her bracelet on the faucet, it dawns on Susie that she never truly escaped the underground hideout – Harvey had killed her. The realization is met with piercing screams as she is gradually pulled into what’s known as the ‘In-Between’, a limbo between Heaven and Earth. From there, Susie becomes a silent witness to the lives of her loved ones, including her new deceased friend Holly, who constantly urges her to let go. Meanwhile, Detective Fenerman teams up with Jack to investigate Susie’s disappearance. As they delve deeper into their inquiries, Jack becomes convinced that she was murdered by someone close to her. Despite their suspicions, the evidence remains elusive – thanks to Harvey’s meticulous efforts to cover his tracks. Jack eventually turns his focus towards their neighbors, and soon enough Harvey emerges as a prime suspect.